Drum barker

ABSTRACT

A drum barker including an elongated drum arranged to rest in a horizontal position and supported for rotation by several systems of motor driven wheels placed in a row on both sides of the drum and for axial movement by a set of wheels engaging a pair of guiding rings situated on the drum. The drum is adapted to receive through one end the timber to be debarked. The inner surface of the drum is provided with projections for removing the bark, while the outer surface is provided with slots through which the detached bark is discharged. A spray system is included for spraying a liquid on the timber either as it enters the drum to soak the bark or as it leaves the drum to facilitate the removal of loose bark from the timber, or both. The spray system may also spray the rotating and axially movable drum and the system of wheels to reduce the friction between the outer surface of the drum and its points of contact with the system of wheels.

United States Patent 1 Tuuha 5] Jan. 9 1973 [54] DRUM BARKER Primary Examiner-Andrew R. Juhasz [76] Inventor: Rolf Erik Tuuha, Lansipuisto 20 C, Ass'stam Exammer "lames Coan Peri Finland Attorney-Burns, Doane, Swecker & Mathis [22] Filed: Nov. 2, 1970 57 ABSTRACT [21] PP N04 86,049 A drum barker including an elongated drum arranged to rest in a horizontal position and supported for rota- 30 Foreign Application priority Data tion by several systems of motor driven wheels placed in a row on both sides of the drum and for axial move- NOV. 6,1969 Finland ..3207/69 ment by a set of h l g g g a p of g g rings situated on the drum. The drum is adapted to receive through one end the timber to be debarked o v a n The inner surface of the drum is provided projec- 5 new of Search "144/208 208 208 208 tions for removing the bark, while the outer surface is provided with slots through which the detached bark is discharged. A spray system is included for spraying [56] References cued a liquid on the timber either as it enters the drum to UNITED STATES PATENTS soak the bark or as it leaves the drum to facilitate the 3 I85 192 5 D l 1 08 B removal of loose bark from the timber, or both. The e Ce m spray system may also spray the rotating and axially 2,770,270 11/1956 Ottersland ..l44/208 B movable drum and the System of wheels to reduce the FOREIGN PATENTS 0 APPLICATIONS friction between the outer surface of the drum and its 1 099 7'9 6 G 1 /208 points of contact with the system of wheels.

, ermany 2 Claims 8 Drawing Figures 57 1 A A l t A A A 2/ PE 2 L 20% k i i I n [L n a A 22 v 7 13 I0 l3 l3 r1- e1 wig U l r a ,7 a

PATENTED JAN 9 I975 SHEET 1 [IF 4 Inventor: ROLF E T'UUHA PATENTEDJAH 9mm 3.709.268

SHEET 3 UF 4 Ii IULLLJLLLL.

lnventar: km; E TuuHA PATENTEU JAN 9 I973 SHEET t 0F 4 lnveniar: ROL F 5 TUUHA DRUM BARKER The object of this invention relates to a drum barker with its cylindrical drum supported on wheels on both sides of the drum.

There are known drum barkers of the above type where the wheels supporting the drum are rubber wheels in contact with the outer surface of the drum, all or part of which wheels are driven to bring the drum to rotate. Also such drum barkers are known where the axial guiding of the drum is accomplished by supporting wheels covered by rubber, or furnished with rubber tires, as well as by guiding rings made of angle bars and fixed on the outer surface of the drum with oblique side surfaces coming to contact with the guiding wheels provided e.g. with pneumatic rubber tires, as the drum is striving to move in axial direction.

In connection with drum barkers of this type, however, the wear on the working surfaces of the supporting wheels may be considerable, particularly at the points coming to contact with the guiding rings. At these points gliding of the rubber surface against the metal surface takes place and the wear is considerable due to the strong pressure under which these points of contact are. The same is the case at the points of contact between the rubber rings and the outer surface of the drum.

The aim of this invention is to eliminate the disadvantages presented above, which is accomplished by the drum barker according to the invention, of which the main characteristic feature is that which is presented in the specification of patent claim 1.

Besides marked decrease in the wear on the working surfaces of the supporting wheels, this invention accomplishes also the additional advantage that when slight gliding between the working surface of the supporting wheel and the outer surface of the drum is allowed, the outermost diameters of the supporting due to differences in air pressure in different rings in I using pneumatic tires.

The invention is clarified further below and in the enclosed drawings, in which FIG. 1 presents from the side a drum barker according to the invention,

FIG. 2 presents from above the same as FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 presents from the feeding or filling end the drum barker according to FIGS. 1 and 2,

FIG. 4 presents from the leaving end the drum barker according to the foregoing figures,

FIG. 5 presents a section taken over the line V-V in FIG. I, and

FIG. 6 presents a section taken over the line Vl-VI in FIG. 1,

FIG. 7 presents as a partial projection on a larger scale than the foregoing, a longitudinal section of the drum near the guiding ring,

FIG. 8 presents from above a partial section of the wheel systems at one side of the drum, at which only those halves of the wheel systems which are situated on the outermost side of the axles as well as the spray pipe are seen.

The drum barker according to the invention comprises a cylindrical drum 1 partly open at the ends, the

inner surface of which is furnished with longitudinal handle-like barking steels or similar projections 2 (FIG. 5 and 6) to improve barking. In addition one or more transversal reinforcing rings 3, 23 may be fixed on the inner surface of the drum. Such reinforcing rings are presented by dotted lines in FIG. 2.

Instead of, or in addition to the ring being fixed on the inner surface of the drum, it is possible to fix a corresponding reinforcing ring or reinforcing rings on the outer surface of the drum too, which in practice often appears favorable, although no such reinforcing rings fixed on the outer surface are presented in the drawing.

The drum 1 is arranged to rest in horizontal position on several systems of wheels placed in a row on both sides of the drum. In the case presented each wheel system 7, 8 and 9 comprises four wheels 10 fixed side by side on a horizontal axle I mounted to hearing brackets 13 on a suitable foundation 12. The wheels 10 may be provided with a compact rubber ring on the outer periphery, or they may be provided like the automobile wheels with pneumatic tires, such as automobile tires, into the working surface of which any suitable patterns, roughness'es, grooves, or the like, may have been made, just as in automobile tires.

In order to rotate the drum 1 all wheel systems on one or both sides of it, or part of them, e.g. the wheel systems 8 presented in FIG. 1, may be driven for instance by an electric motor 14, or some other power engine or power transmission device. It is also possible that all the wheel systems on the same side of the drums may be mounted to a common axle driven by a motor.

When the drum barker operates, the timber to be barked is conducted by means of some suitable device continuously into the drum 1 through the feeding opening 18 (FIG. 3) in the feeding end 4. The logs rub against each other as well as against the wall of the drum and the projections or barking steels 2, and thus are barked while moving to the leaving end 5, where they are discharging through the opening 19 (FIG. 4). Near the opening, water is sprayed on the logs through nozzles 20 in order to remove loose bark and litter. However, it is also possible to place the water sprays at the feeding end of the drum in order to soak the bark, and during winter to melt the frozen timber and the ice attached to it. On this account the water brought to the feeding end is suitably warm or hot.

The designation 23 refers to the ring-shaped wall inside of the drum, the inner diameter of which is a little larger than the inner diameter of the ring-shaped wall 24 of the feeding end. On this account the water sprayed into the feeding end of the drum collects between the rings 23 and 24 and runs over the lower edge of the opening at the center of the ring 23 towards the left in FIG. 2. Part of the warm water sprayed into the drum stays in this way a given time between the rings 23 and 24 so that the heating effect of the water and the effect of soaking the bark thus can be favorably utilized. In front of and near the ring-shaped body 24 partly closing the feeding end, parallel of the plane of the ring 24, a stationary plate-like wall 25 is provided, over the upper edge 26 of which the logs are fed into the drum. When the drum rotates the logs fed into the drum are spread out over the lower edge of the opening at the center of the ring 23 as they approach the leaving end, and are discharged through the opening 19 at the leaving end 5 for further transport by a conveyor.

The bark detached from the timber is discharged through openings 21 in the surface of the drum 1 into funnels 22 at the sides of the drum, from which it is conducted e.g. together with water running in channels under the funnels, or by means of conveyor belts for further treatment.

The axial guiding is accomplished according to the invention in such a way, that a so-called guidingring or guiding rings 6 are fixed on the surface of the drum, which together with the supporting wheel or supporting wheels 9 situated near the mentioned rings accomplish the axial guiding. The last-mentioned supporting wheels 9 may at the same time be driving wheels, or as most often is the case, they are not. In the case according to FIGS. 1, 2 and 7, the guiding ring 6 is made of angle bar bent to ring shape in such a manner, that the extreme ends of its cross-sectional branches contact the surface of the drum, where they are rigidly fixed e.g. by welding. The guiding rings 6 may also be made, of angle bars with the angle between its flanges either larger or smaller than 90. As the drum is striving to move axially to the right in FIG. 7, the oblique righthand surface, or guide face, of the angle bar 6 is striving to press the side surface of the pneumatic ring 9 towards the right. The upwardly directed component of the pressing force is not appreciably able to lift the drum due to its great weight, in response to which the pneumatic ring somewhat flattens from the side at the guiding ring.

According to one mode of applying this invention the pipe 27 in FIG. 1 can be mounted rigidly at a position above the drum. Into the pipe water is conducted in the direction of the arrow, which is sprayed as fine jets 28 e.g. through discharge openings, nozzles, etc. in the mentioned pipe down on to the upper surface of the drum 1, which in this way is kept continuously moist. In gliding against the moist surface of the drum, the wear on the working surface of the wheels 7, 8 and 9, and on the surfaces coming to contact with the gliding rings 6 is considerably less than otherwise, due to the slight gliding then obtained between the outer surface of the drum or the guiding rings and the outer surface of the wheels. To prevent too extensive gliding, however, the spraying of water from the pipe 27 on top of the drum surface can be regulated by means of suitable tap or other similar devices known as such. In addition the nozzles may be of such previously known type that the water entering the surface of the drum is as finely divided as possible, e.g. in the form of a fog.

Instead of the pipe 27 brush devices may also be used, which are kept moist and on contact with the surface of the drum 1 or the guiding rings 6 moisten them. Instead of and together with the brush or brushes of the pipe or pipes of the abovedescribed type it is also possible to use e.g. fabrics, rags, or pieces, strips, or plates of scum plastics, which are maintained moist to a suitable extent so as to moisten the drum at the desired places.

FIG. 8 shows how water conducted into the pipe 29 in the direction of the arrow is sprayed on the wheels 7, 9 and the wheel systems 8, 9, 10 as jets 30 from openings or nozzles.

Because friction and gliding at least occationally is greater at the points of contact between the wheels of the wheel system 9 than at the points of contact between the other wheels 8 and the drum, it is possible at certain times of need to conduct more water on the wheels 9 by means of special nozzles, or in certain cases direct the jet straight on the points of contact between the rings 6 and the wheels 9, particularly on points in front of the former points. In certain situations it is also possible to spray water only on the points of contact between the guiding wheels 9 and the guiding rings 6, i or on adjacent points, but leave the other wheels and/or the drum surface entirely unmoistened at other points. The invention is not restricted to the above-mentioned modes of application, but it may be varied within the scope of the patent claims below. Thus one may use at need instead of water other liquids and different solutions, emulsions etc. In certain cases it might be a question also of using instead of or together with water certain solid slippery making materials, e.g. such as talc powder. According to the mainprinciple of the invention it also may be'a question of using guiding wheels and supporting wheels, the surfaces ofwhich coming to contact with the drum and adjacent surfaces are of other material than rubber, e.g. plastics such as nylon, but not metal.

I claim: 1. A drum barker comprising: a cylindrical drum including debarking means disposed internally thereof; a plurality of wheel systems disposed along opposite sides of said drum; said wheel systems including a plurality of rotatable wheels arranged to contact and support the outer periphery of said drum; at least the outer drum-contacting portions of said wheels being composed of a resilient, elastic material; said drum including guide ring means being disposed around the outer peripherythereof; said guide ring means including at least a .pair of guide faces projecting outwardly from said outer drum periphery;v

each said guide face being arranged tocontacta wheel portion to resist axial movement of said drum in a mannercausing frictional wear of said wheel portion; and lubricating means for applying lubricant at areas disposed axially along said drum to reduce the wear between said wheels and said drum; v said lubricating means including means forapplying a lubricant to one of said guide faceand said wheel portion to reduce the frictional wear of said wheel portion during rotation of said drum. 2. A drum barker according to claim 1 wherein: said lubricating means comprises a liquid conduit disposed above and extending axially along said drum; said conduit including a plurality of axially spaced discharge apertures for spraying lubricating liquid onto said areas along said drum.

III i i 

1. A drum barker comprising: a cylindrical drum including debarking means disposed internally thereof; a plurality of wheel systems disposed along opposite sides of said drum; said wheel systems including a plurality of rotatable wheels arranged to contact and support the outer periphery of said drum; at least the outer drum-contacting portions of said wheels being composed of a resilient, elastic material; said drum including guide ring means being disposed around the outer periphery thereof; said guide ring means including at least a pair of guide faces projecting outwardly from said outer drum periphery; each said guide face being arranged to contact a wheel portion to resist axial movement of said drum in a manner causing frictional wear of said wheel portion; and lubricating means for applying lubricant at areas disposed axially along said drum to reduce the wear between said wheels and said drum; said lubricating means including means for applying a lubricant to one of said guide face and said wheel portion to reduce the frictional wear of said wheel portion during rotation of said drum.
 2. A drum barker according to claim 1 wherein: said lubricating means comprises a liquid conduit disposed above and extending axially along said drum; said conduit including a plurality of axially spaced discharge apertures for spraying lubricating liquid onto said areas along said drum. 